Day 17: Hamilton Island

Magic, magic day! Weather is perfect and life is good!

No stress!

No stress!

Wandered in for our breakfast after a great nights sleep. Pondered what we’d do for a while – quite a while actually, before finally deciding on ocean activities. Took out a catamaran for a while. Pleased that Steve hasn’t lost any of his sailing prowess, then a double kayak which we’re both now pretty good at, then went for a swim in the ocean before settling on the beach under a brush umbrella for a bit of reading and iPad-ing.
The water is clear and the perfect temperature. Saw a turtle with a shell about two foot across while we were sailing. Swimming was heavenly!

Back to our unit for a shower and to contemplate lunch. Decided to go to the yacht club. This building is quite new and really stunning. It has a bowsprit and a mast which was off one of the yachts that took line honours in a Sydney to Hobart. Reckon we’ll sit here tomorrow morning and watch Laura arrive. Lunch was tapas with a cheeky West Australian bubbly. More reading, more contemplation as we sat on the deck. Watched the yachts sailing by, the ferry from Shute arrive and three jets come in.
OK enough of that and back to the unit where Steve had a sleep and I finished my latest book. Took a walk on the beach at low tide and wandered around the resort and its many pools and bars and thought about dinner. We’re going to Coca Chu, a modern Asian restaurant.
Click here for a few more photos from our day today.

Outstanding views - from The Deck.

Outstanding views – from The Deck.

Day 16: Hamilton Island

Well, last night wasn’t one of our best – hot and midgies! But the thought of our Hamilton Island sojourn made sure our spirits stayed high.

Shute Harbour. We'll be on a boat like those big ones soon.

Shute Harbour. We’ll be on a boat like those big ones soon.

Early start – had to have car to Secure Parking by 7am and boat departure at 8am. We packed up quickly and headed for the lookout at Shute Harbour where we had breakfast. The day was perfect: 28C max, light winds, sunny. The ocean looked like it was covered in diamonds as it twinkled in the sunlight. Steve commented on how different the colour of the ocean is here, and it is too – a turquoise blue. Happy thoughts all round.

View from our bed.

View from our bed.

We’re staying at The Beach Club, which is pretty classy – our room is ground floor and we walk out of our room across lawn, onto the beach and into the ocean. We arrived in time for breakfast here, which we didn’t say no to. The tables are set around the infinity pool beside the ocean. Get the picture? This is a lovely place to stay.
There’s a free shuttle bus service around the island, so we hopped on that and went sightseeing. We identified the original sections we remembered from 1986 when Steve was the air traffic controller here and we were here frequently with his work, and also sailed here on our trailer-sailer Cooboo. I also had some flashback memories when I sat on Catseye Beach – yep, thanks for that Nick!
Very restful afternoon – reading, sleeping, swimming in pool. Dinner at Romanos at 9pm (couldn’t get an earlier booking!) and back for a long and comfortable night’s sleep. Didn’t miss having to climb down the ladder in the middle of the night!

Click here to view a few more photos of our first day on Hamilton Island.

Day 15: Eungella to Airlie Beach

Kinda sad to leave Eungella because it is so beautiful, but we discovered we’d chosen the coldest site in the camping grounds, and the excitement re Hamilton Island was building, so down the mountain we went. I forgot to mention that in the rainforest around our camping spot the fireflies came out each evening. Quite a treat!

Cane harvester - up close and personal.

Cane harvester – up close and personal.

Off to the mill.

Off to the mill.

We used to live in Mackay, so it was a bit of a trip down memory lane – not that we actually went in to Mackay, taking the shortcut from Mirani across to Mt Ossa. But the countryside was all very familiar – cane farms, cane trains, mango trees, lush tropical bush – and warm! We were very nearly killed here – we were stopped at a railway crossing with the cane train coming when two trucks came from the opposite direction and didn’t notice the red flashing lights or the cane locomotive just about to enter the crossing. The first truck got through OK, the second one only just missed the train – everyone involved, including us, got a helluva fright. If it had hit it would have pushed the engine straight into our car. I guess our number isn’t up yet.
We had a look at the house we lived in in Proserpine – it’s in really poor condition. Just outside Proserpine we stopped for coffee at a new coffee plantation called Whitsunday Gold. Jolly nice coffee it was too!

True love!

True love!

Do you like this hat?

Do you like this hat?

On to Airlie Beach and the Flametree caravan and camping park to reserve our spot for the night. Average!
Back into Airlie for a look-see and some shopping. I love the atmosphere of Airlie. It’s young and buzzy and really screams out ‘tropical island holiday’. Can’t be a better feeling than that.
Back at camp we cleaned out the fridge, and turned it off – only had a couple of tomatoes, some bocconcini and the butter to give to the French travellers in the campervan beside us. All cleaned up and clothes for the island sorted for tomorrow. Went out to dinner at d’lice seafood and rum bar. It was a Trip Advisor recommendation and yep, the seafood and rum was good. Trip Advisor is very useful.

To see a few more photos, mostly of the cane harvesting, click here.

Days 13 and 14: Eungella

Breakfast, then packed up and left Eungella Dam – surprising how fast we are getting at packing up – we were on the road by 8.30, heading to the mountain top and a camping ground called Explorers Haven. Took a small detour through Crediton on the way – very pretty country here. Lovely to see the paddocks green after all the brown fields of the last couple of weeks.
The camping ground has the most incredible location – right on the precipice at the top of the range – views down the valley for as far as you can see. I’m sure there is no more beautiful camping area anywhere. We booked in, chose our spot and decided to do one of the walks.

Short walk to the Sky Window and Broken River.

Short walk to the Sky Window and Broken River.

This is the starting point for the Mackay Highlands Great Walk. We did the last leg when we were at Moonlight Dam to Mt Britton, and today we did a little of the first leg – from Eungella to the Sky Window, and back – 6K. I’d love to do the whole walk – it’s 4 nights, 5 days. It’s on the Bucket List.
Eungella is noted for platypus! Yeah, yeah you know how I feel about them. Anyway I dutifully went and stood quietly whispering on the viewing platform overlooking Broken River with the other tourists in the cold waiting for dusk. Well, blow me down if the little blighters do actually exist. One swam right past where I was and I could see it clear as day. Fancy that! So cute.

How to see a platypus - instructions just for me!

How to see a platypus – instructions just for me!

While waiting I amused myself looking for other wildlife – scrub turkeys, white cockatoos, azure kingfishers, a funny little brown bird that blended perfectly with the leaf litter and stayed on the ground at the waters edge, turtles … that was just so that if the platypus didn’t show up it wouldn’t have been a total waste.

This is the ramp the handgliders run and jump off. Too far down for me!

This is the ramp the handgliders run and jump off. Too far down for me!

We left the west because it was getting a bit hot, but I think we overdid it – I spent today in a track suit trying to stay warm. I guess we are at 800 metres! Speaking of which, at the Chalet (ie the pub) there is a launching ramp for the hang gliders. It’s a straight fall down 800 metres if they don’t get airborne! Many years ago sister Deb and I thought we’d be brave and walk out on the ramp. I still distinctly remember having to crawl on hands and knees back to terra firma. Needless to say I didn’t try that again this visit.
Today was a day spent catching up – washing, reading, work, internet … you know how it is. Click here to view a few other photos taken at Eungella.

How's this for a view for wine o'clock?

How’s this for a view for wine o’clock?

Day 12: Eungella Dam

The other campers packed up this morning, so we’ve got the place to ourselves. They recommended a drive from here along the Mt Barker Rd to Collinsville – very pretty they tell me, 4WD (we didn’t do it – just here for future reference).

Our morning chorus!

Our morning chorus!

I spent the morning sitting in the camp with binoculars and bird book to hand. Here we get not only the water birds, but lots of land birds too – kookaburras, currawongs, butcher birds, straw-necked ibis, pee wees, friar birds, white cockatoos, greenies and squatter pigeons. This is a truly idyllic spot – grassy site, sandy shore, freshwater, good swimming and kayaking, and bird watching. I believe it gets very crowded on weekends and school holidays, with good reason. This afternoon we took the kayak into deep water and  practiced flipping it and getting back into it. Although a little ungainly we both managed pretty well. Enjoyed a lovely swim afterwards. Happily, until we got back onshore and realised Steve did it with his glasses on, and now they weren’t on anymore! Hmmm. Lamb Hotpot for tea (love my Dreampot) campfire and another lovely quiet night.

View a few photos we took at the camping area by clicking here.

Watching the locals pass by.

Watching the locals pass by.

That's alotta bull!

That’s alotta bull!

.

Day 11: Moonlight Dam to Eungella Dam

Slow pack up this morning – I really didn’t want to go, it was so lovely. Saw a couple of gallinules under the fig tree before we left. Got away about 9.30 and headed off to Eungella Dam along Turrawulla Rd, then right into Pipeline Road.  All dirt or sandy road and some of it rough rocky – 4WD preferred.
Eungella Dam supplies the water to the local area via the pipeline we followed on the road in. It’s a beautiful setting at the western foothills of the Eungella Range. Surprisingly it’s green grass, treed and shady with a 2 metre-wide sandy beach around the edge and sandy bottom – no mud!  When we arrived there were several families set up for the day with kayaks and picnics and children swimming, and a few water skiers, jet skies (pox on the water according to Steve) and fishing boats. We chose the quieter side away from the boats to set up camp right on the grassy foreshore, with one other couple camping here. Come mid afternoon everyone left except the other camper.
We put the kayak in and went for a decent paddle – at least an hour – had a swim and earned our wine o’clock! Once more the bird life entertained us – pelicans, cormorants, darters, coots, Pacific black-faced and Australian wood ducks, white-faced heron, lapwings.
We had a campfire and into bed early.

Eungella Dam

Eungella Dam

Day 10: Moonlight Dam, Homevale National Park

Homevale Station was a working cattle property before National Parks took it over. The area which is now Homevale National Park was formed 30 million years ago when a series of volcanic eruptions covered older basalt rocks with lava, creating hard granite formations. Over time the basalt eroded away leaving the spectacular cliffs seen today. The volcanos also produced gold deposits and fertile basalt soils which now support a diverse plant life.

Beautiful location and there's that windmill!

Beautiful location and there’s that windmill!

Awoke to the birds and the sound of the windmill! Hmm, yes, there’s a lovely old Southern Cross Windmill here which must have once pumped water up from the dam to the cattle troughs before it became a National park. It still works exceedingly well, just isn’t connected to anything. Anyway it’s not an annoying noise and is actually rather charming.

Off for a bushwalk.

Off for a bushwalk.

The Moonlight Dam Camp site is the second last stop on the Mackay Hinterland Great Walk. So we decided we’d walk the last leg of it today – across to Mt Britton. Mt Britton was a thriving township in 1883 as a result of goldmining. It had a population of 1500 and all the town amenities you think would go with a town that size. However by 1890 the gold was gone and the town had become a ghost town. The walk from Moonlight Dam is 6K, which of course is 12K return – a good distance! I saw billboards promoting Mt Britton on the drive here – a restored gold mining town. Great – we’d walk there, have an icecream and coffee and maybe some other yummy treats at the cafe then head back to camp! The walk was mostly really lovely along a graded track with gorgeous gums and views to the Diamond Ranges and Peaks – a few very steep hills, and not a lot a shade, but a cooling breeze.

Mt Britton. Only the road layout remains. Signs indicate what used to stand at each place along the roads.

Mt Britton. Only the road layout remains. Signs indicate what used to stand at each place along the roads.

Hmmm – I soon learnt that a ghost town means just that – no people, and definitely no cafe! Despite being very disappointed about the icecream, the town site was very interesting.No buildings remained, but the streets were laid out as they were and through amazing good fortune one of the first inhabitants in 1881 was a photographer, so there’s a very good photographic display of what was at each spot along the roads. Well done Nebo Shire! Drank our water and ate our hikers nuts (disappointing) and walked back to camp.

We’re camped right on the edge of the dam – it’s about a 4 metre bank down to the waters edge. The dam is small – maybe 16 metres  across at the widest and 30 metres long. Reeds and fallen trees and water plants line the edges, and the creek continues at either end of it. A pretty little dam. The usual water birds are here and just on dusk we saw an Azure Kingfisher family fishing.

Once again a delightful camp where we didn’t see another soul the whole time we were here.
To see our photos from today click here.

Watched a family of Azure Kingfishers fishing from that fallen branch.

Watched a family of Azure Kingfishers fishing from that fallen branch.

Day 9: Through the Gem Fields, Clermont, Nebo to Homevale National Park.

Didn’t stay in Emerald long – too far to go today. The weather forecast is for increasing temperatures high 30’s, so we’ve decided to head coastward-ish. But first a drive through Sapphire and Rubyvale. I know the desire to be in dry, dusty, scrubby-treed country to fossick for hours in the hot dry dirt to find a pretty stone to make a pretty ring is a very strong pull for many people – and they’ll be pleased to know they won’t get any competition from me!

First brolgas, up close.

First brolgas, up close.

Morning tea at Rubyvale and saw … wait for it … BROLGAS – up close on the road just in front of us. Ahhhh happy me!

Really interesting memorial to the Light Horse Brigade that was stationed here. Well worth stopping to read about it.

Really interesting memorial to the Light Horse Brigade that was stationed here. Well worth stopping to read about it.

Headed north out of Rubyvale towards Clermont. Rejoined the Gregory Highway at Capella. Learnt something new here. It’s rumoured that while the Light Horse battalion that was here during the shearers strike in 1891?? A couple of the lads killed an emu and put a feather in their cap. Up until then it was only the officers who wore a parrot feather in their caps. Over the next few years both officers and enlisted men changed to wearing the emu feather. There’s a monument to the Light Horse brigade here in Capella with the story.

Lunchbreak under this beautiful tree outside Clermont.

Lunchbreak under this beautiful tree outside Clermont.

Denise with the famous Piano in the Tree

Denise with the famous Piano in the Tree

On to Clermont – lunch under a beautiful flowering gum of some description in the park before you get into town. Clermont was surveyed by Ludwig Leichhardt and settled in 1861 when gold was discovered. The township was devasted by a flood in 1916 when 65 locals lost their lives (and a piano was found in that tree when the waters went down). There’s now a mock piano in the tree as a memorial. Heading towards Nebo we went through the Bowen Basin Coal fields. They are massive … and not attractive!
Homevale National Park is off the Peak Downs Highway north of Nebo, on the road to Glendon. At 11km along that road turn into Turrawulla Rd then 22km (past the turnoff to Mt Britton), until you see the sign to Moonlight Dam Camping area 7km further in. And yes, it is a 4WD track by that time. When I rang the National Parks people to book the site she didn’t know it existed – obviously not often visited. We arrived about half an hour before dark – lucky we can now be fully setup in about 10 mins. Still time for wine o’clock as we sat in a lovely cool breeze, watched the sun set over the dam and the birds catching their last morsels for supper. A long day driving, but that’s the best place to be when the temps are over 35!

Click here to see our photos from this part of the trip.

Day 8: Emerald

Left Nuga Nuga early, driving out north towards the Dawson Highway. Some parts of this dirt road were good, others I’m pleased we were in a tough 4wd.
Stopped for lunch at Fairbairn Dam. Great grassy area at the lookout over the Dam wall and dam. No one there, no one else came up, but don’t even think about camping here! Needed to re-supply so did our shopping at Emerald, out to the Irish Pub for dinner then back to the Emerald Show grounds for the night.

Largest Van Gogh in the world.

Largest Van Gogh in the world.

Day 7: Lake Nuga Nuga

Our campsite had been chosen to perfection, getting the shade both morning and afternoon. We had brekkie then pumped up the kayak and paddled around the lake looking at birds for a while.

Off to explore.

Off to explore.

 

Dead trees as a result of the lake formation.

Dead trees as a result of the lake formation.

Re-arranged the new drawer system in the back of Mitzy, now incredibly efficient (!); rested for a while until it cooled down in the afternoon when we took the kayak out again. Saw more birds this time – lots of cormorants, a few pelicans, black swans, geese, ducks, egrets, spoonbills, terns, hawks, and others we couldn’t identify. Also heaps of turtles popped their heads up to look at us, and some fish jumped. I’d guess the fishing would be lousy due to the numerous dead trees in the water causing snags everywhere.

Only one other car drove in while we were here – a couple of guys in high-vis shirts and mining company numbers on the vehicle .. coming to make sure we weren’t greenies reporting on them I guess (wink).
Had a campfire tonight. To see our photos from Lake Nuga Nuga click here.

The end of a wonderful day.

The end of a wonderful day.